Final Workout Has Twins Ready for Season

After a torrid Spring Training, Byron Buxton was back in Minnesota and stepped up to the podium. The weather wasn’t on his mind as Buxton said the club really hadn’t considered the weather until leaving JetBlue yesterday following their game against the Boston Red Sox. “Sano said he didn’t have a coat, and then the rest of us looked around and realized we didn’t either.”

Given his scorching pace this spring, it’s not shocking the weather didn’t deter the Twins centerfielder. While the games don’t factor into the standings, Buxton posted a .469/.514/.1.094 slash line. Talking about what leads to production at that level, he said, “Confidence is pretty high. Knowing I’m here for seven more years as well is a big factor.”

Buxton brought up this point multiple times, and manager Rocco Baldelli later said, “There’s comfort in being able to not worry about your family and just playing the game,”

After signing with the Twins, during his press conference, Carlos Correa brought up how his focus will be turned towards working on perfection. He brings a winning attitude, has been a winner, and wants to win. That seems to have permeated quickly throughout the clubhouse. Buxton said, “We want to win. Obviously, when I signed, that was a big focus.”

He followed up by saying, “It’s very special right now, the things going on in that clubhouse.” Buxton’s confidence isn’t just internal. Knowing the talent of his teammates, he said, “We know we got a great defense. We rake.”
 
As Correa did when meeting the media, Buxton echoed a desire for rings today. This is a team ready to get going, and while Opening Day is delayed by 24 hours, they’re chomping at the bit to show the league what they’re about.

The man leading them once again is Rocco Baldelli. Coming off a disappointing season, it’s evident that the skipper sees his club in the same light as his clubhouse leaders. Despite outsiders' questions regarding the rotation, Baldelli said, “I actually like having youth on our pitching staff. Youth can be a very good thing.”

He gushed about the confidence in arms like Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, notably professing the work Minnesota’s staff has seen.

In touching on veteran Chris Archer, Baldelli said, “I’ve known Arch for a very long time as a pitcher and as a person. He looked great.” The former Rays starter stayed an extra day in Fort Myers to work another outing with pitching coach Wes Johnson, in which he got in 50-55 pitches.
 
Minnesota is looking to replace a leadership presence in Nelson Cruz, but Correa has stepped in. While Baldelli said each team has a different feel, he came away impressed by “the number of very particular conversations he had with people on day one…he had the charisma and confidence wanting to talk about the Twins, the way we operate, what we need from him, what he needs from us, and how it all comes together.”

Carrying over from the Twins time down in Fort Myers, everything about this club continues to be about winning. The Minnesota clubhouse is filled with guys singularly focused on the ultimate goal. “The talk and feel of every guy in our clubhouse revolve around the right things. The number one thing being winning baseball games, winning a World Series.”
 
A couple of additional positives came from Baldelli as he wrapped up his press conference before the players hit the field. Nick Gordon is all systems go after his collision with Max Kepler in the outfield earlier this week. The medical staff hasn’t alerted Baldelli of anything new, and Gordon himself hasn’t suggested there have been any setbacks.

That clean bill of health also applies to Alex Kirilloff. Baldelli did say that Kirilloff will play plenty of outfield and first base, “even switching between the two mid-game at times.” Asked about the lack of time in left field, Baldelli said Kirilloff has consistently been rotated through both corner spots, and they are confident with him in either role.

This evening, Minnesota is looking to set their Opening Day 28-man roster, likely featuring 16 pitchers. Baldelli said, “one decision will impact a couple of guys,” so the front office and coaching staff continue to work through that.
 
Following today's workout, the Twins will have a quiet day tomorrow before kicking off their 2022 regular season at 3:10 pm on Friday.